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Bees earn three points

December 12, 2013 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release


Last weekend was a success for the Killer Bees, who earned three out of a possible four points in a 2-game home series against the Wichita Falls Wildcats. The Bees won the first game of the series 3-0 before falling in the second game in a shootout, 2-1. Evan Schmidbauer, Dean Balsamo and Anthony Croston each scored a goal in the first game of the series, and Olli Kalkaja stopped all 16 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the season. Adam Morrison scored RGV's lone goal in the second game of last weekend's series.

Back in second place

With their 3-point series last weekend, the Bees reclaimed sole possession of second place in the NAHL's South Division.

Kalkaja, Schmidbauer mentioned

Kalkaja and Schmidbauer were named honorable mention picks Monday for South Star of the week based on their play last weekend.

Kalkaja went 1-0-1 in the series. He made 16 saves on 16 shots in the first game last weekend, earning his second shutout of the season. He made 31 saves on 32 shots in the second game.

Kalkaja is 11-3-6 on the season with a goals-against average of 1.91 and a save percentage of .914.

"I thought he was solid," Killer Bees head coach Joe Coombs said of Kalkaja's play last weekend. "I don't think we gave a up a whole lot of chances Friday night ... I thought it was a great weekend for him."

Schmidbauer scored a goal and added an assist in Game 1 last weekend against Wichita Falls. He was also plus-2 on the weekend.

Lone Star's Black named South Star of the Week

Lone Star goalie T.J. Black was named South Star of the week after he led the Brahmas, the Bees' opponent this weekend, to a sweep over South Division-leading Amarillo. Recently acquired by the Brahmas, Black allowed just one goal in two games against Amarillo, which owns the most potent offense in the NAHL.

Skate with the Bees

Bees players will skate with fans this Sunday from 6 until 10 p.m. at Pavillion Memorial Park behind City Hall in Hidalgo. Set aside some time to skate with your favorite players.

Stay in touch with the Killer Bees

Log on to KillerBeesHockey.com for the most team news. Fans can also follow the team on Twitter (@KillerBHockey) and Facebook (Rio Grande Valley Killer Bee Hockey Team).

You can watch

Fans are reminded that, for a small fee, they can watch all Killer Bees games by logging on to www.FASTHockey.com. Both games this weekend (Friday, Dec. 13 & Saturday, Dec. 14) are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Spend the holidays with the Bees

The Bees have a trio of home games at the State Farm Arena over the holidays. On Saturday, Dec. 28 RGV will host Corpus Christi. The Bees will also host the Lone Star Brahmas on Friday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 4. All three games are set to begin at 7:05 p.m.

To purchase tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com or the State Farm Arena Box Office. For more information, contact the Killer Bees at (956) 843-5651 or email info@killerbeeshockey.com.

Killer Bees vs. Brahmas

The Killer Bees are 4-0-2 against the Brahmas. ... In six games, RGV has outscored Lone Star 18-14. ... Four of the six games the two teams have played have gone beyond regulation. ... Against each other, the Bees and Brahmas have each won one game in overtime and one game in a shootout. ... RGV forward Ben Greiner has notched eight points (1G, 7A) against the Brahmas. ... Matt Lison leads the Brahmas with six points (4G, 2A) against the Killer Bees. ... The Bees have seven power-play goals on 23 chances against the Brahmas, for a success rate of 30.4 percent. In comparison, the Brahmas have scored just two power-play goals against the Bees, for a success rate of 11.8 percent. ... Four different Lone Star goalies have played against the Bees. ... While the Brahmas have just eight wins on the season, they are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and are coming off a series in which they swept high-scoring Amarillo, which owns the best record in the NAHL (20-7-1). ... Which Lone Star team can the Bees expect to face this weekend, the one with just eight wins or the one that is 4-5-1 in its last 10 games and coming off a 2-game sweep over a very good Amarillo team? "A very good one," Coombs said, answering the question. "Quite frankly, every time we've played them we've had our hands full. They compete, and that's the name of the game. ... I wouldn't be surprised if they went on a run here, not surprised at all."

All standings and statistical information are through Dec. 12, 2013

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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